^n,      '  v'uni  ^am  i2mo  #574 


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No.  28, 
tiki  PRECIOUS  BLOOD  OF  CHRIST; 

OK  HOW  A  SOLDIER  WAS  SAVED, 


''Blood  haj  a  voice  to  pierce  the  skies— 
'Vengeance,  the  blood  of  -Abel  cries; 

'he  dear  stream  when  Christ  was  slain, 
Speaks  peace  as  loud  from  every  \ 

Some  years  ago  two  soldiers  belonging  to  one  oi  the  regi- 
ments of  the  British  army  stationed  at  Gibraltar,  were  one 
evening  placed  as  sentries  at  the  opposite endtfof  a  sally-port, 

fr  lpng  passage,  leading  from  the  rock  of  Gibraltar  to  the 
i-ennish  territory.  Though  living  on  this  secluded  spot,  and 
with  few  opportunities  of  hearing  the  glad  tidings  of  the 
glorious  gospel,  they  had  been  led  to  read  the  eacred  Scrip- 
tures together,  and  the  still  small  voire  of  God,  speakirg  in 
his  own  blessed  word,  was  brought  home  to  the  heart  of  one 
ef  these  men,  who  was  enabled  to  rejoice  in  the  pardoning 
love  of  God,  and  in  the  peace-speaking  blood  of  Jesus, 

On  the  evening  alluded  to,  one  of  the  officers,  who  had 
been  out  dining,  was  returning  to  the  garrison  at  a  late  hour 
and  coming  up  to  the  sentry  on  the  outside  of  the  &ally-port, 
who  was  the  soldier  recently  converted,  he  asked  as  usual  tor 
the  watchword.  The  man,  absorbed  in  meditation  on  the 
glorious  things  that  had  recently  been  unfolded  to  him,  and 
filled  with  devout  gratitude  and  love,  on  being  roused  from 
his  midnight  reverie,  replied  to  the  oiFicer'n  challenge  with 
the  words,  "  The  -precious  blood  of  Christ."  He  soon,  however 
recovered  his  self-posseasion,  and  gave  the  watchword. 

His  comrade,  who  was  anxiously  seeking  the  Lord,  and 
who  was  stationed  as  sentry  at  the  other  or  inner  end  of  the 
sally-port,  a  passage  specially  adapted  for  the  conveyance  of 
sound,  heard  the  words,  '.'  The  precious  b'codnf  Christ"  borne 
upo,n.  the  breeze  at  the  solemn  hour  of  midnight.  The  words 
came  home  to  his  heart  as  a  voice  from  heR^en  ;  the  load  of 


T„>, 


PIlLCIOUa    BLOOD    01"   CHRIST 


guilt  was  removed,  and  the  precious  blood  of  Christ  spoke 
peace  to  the  soul  of  the  sin-burdened  soldier. 

He  was  afterwards,  with  others  of  his  regiment,  drafted 
for  service  in  India,  and  proceeded  to  the  island  of  Ceylon, 
where  a  long  career  of  usefulness  opened  before  hiin,  and 
where  he  became  the  honored  instrument  in  the  hands  of 
the  Lord  for  the  completion  of  a  great  and  important  work. 
Soon  after  arriving  in  Ceylon,  his  discharge  was  procured 
from  his  regiment,  that  he  might  fill  the  office  of  master 
of  the  principal  school  in  Colombo,  for  which  he  was  well 
qualified  by  a  good  education  in  early  life.  He  soon  acquired 
an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  Cingalese  language  ;  and  as  the 
translation  of  the  Bible  into  that  tongue  was  lying  in  an 
unfinished  state,  owing  to  the  death  of  the  individual  who 
commenced  the  work,  he  set  himself  to  the  task,  and  com- 
pleted the  Cingalese  version  of  the  Scriptures,  which  was 
afterwards  printed  by  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society 
in  four  volumes. 

The  remainder  of  his  life  was  spent  in  India,  devoted  to- 
the  service  of  his  Lord  and  Master;  and  ere  he  was  called 
to  his  rest,  the  converted  soldier  became  acquainted  with  nc* 
less  than  thirteen  languages. 

Dear  reader,  are  you,  like  the  soldier  on  the  rock  of  Gibral- 
tar, in  anxiety  about  your  soul's  eternal  peace  and  safety? 
Then  remember  the  words  which  tho  midnight  breeze  wafted 
to  his  ear,  "  The  precious  blood  of  Christ/'  Yes,  it  is  indeed 
precious,  for  it  is  the  blood  of  God's  own  dear  Son.  It  is  not 
the  blood  of  amereman,  butof  theGod-man,  of  "God  man- 
ifest in  the  flesh,"  and  therefore  possessed  of  infinite  value 
and  unceasing  efficacy. 

1.  Remember  that  in  the  Mood  is  the  life,  and  Jesus,  in  giving 
his  blood,  gave  his  life,  as  the  redemption-price  of  all  his 
people;  "for  we  are  not  redeemed  with  corruptible  things, 
as  silver  and  gold  ;  but  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  as 
of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and  without  spot."  1  Pet.  1:  18, 
19.  Think  of  the  dignity  of  Him  who  suffered  as  the  victim, 
and  will  you  not  say  that  his  blood  is  precious  ?  Remember 
that  in  the  blood  only  is  safety.  Read  Exodus  12th,  and  you 
will  see  that  when  the  angel  of  death  was  marching  through 
the  land  of  Egypt,  every  Israelite  was  safe;  but  his  safetv 
was  secured  by  the  blood  sprinkled  on  the  lintels.  So  with  all 
the  Israel  of  God.    They  shall  be  safe  in  the  day  of  the  Lord's 


rHI    PRECIOUS    BLOOD    Of    CIIRIsT.  A 

vengeance  ;  but  it  will  be  because  Christ  their  Passover  has 
been  sacrificed  for  them,  and  the  blood  of  that  precious  Pass- 
over Lamb  has  been  applied  to  each  heart  and  conscrnce. 

2.  Remember  that  in  the  blood  only  there  is  cleansing.  It 
is  not  to  be  found  in  the  Waters  of  baptism,  or  in  tears  of 
sorrow  and  remorse,  or  in  any  Abana  and  Pharpar  rivers  of 
Damascus;  but  it  \v.  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  God's  Son, 
that  alone  oleanseth  from  all  sin.  1  John,  1:  7.  Apply  to 
it  in  faith  :  wash  there,  and  you  will  be  clean  ;  the  leprosy 
of  your  foulest  transgressions  will  be  taken  away.  "  For  if 
the.  blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats,  and  the  ashes  of  a  heifer 
sprinkling  the  unclean,  sanctirieth  to  the  purifying  of  the 
flesh,  how  much  more  shall  the  blood  of  Christ,  who  through 
the  eternal  Spirit  offered  himself  without  spot  to  God,  purge 
your  conscience  from  dead  works  to  serve  the  living  God  f" 
ileb.  9:  13,  14. 

3.  Remember  that  in  the  blood  only  thero  is  peace.  You 
will  not  find  it  in  yourself,  or  in  your  doings.  No  penance  or 
pilgrimage  can  procure  it  ;  but  remem'ner  that  it  is  Jesus  who 
has  made  peace  through  the  blood  of  his  cross.  Col.  1:  20. 
No  peace  for  a  guilty  conscience,  no  rest  for  a  distressed,  sin- 
burdened  soul,  but  in  the  peace-speaking  blood  of  the  Lamb  of 
God.  True,  solid,  lasting  peace  can  only  flow  from  a  sense 
of  forgiveness,  and  this  again  can  only  be  found  in  Jesus, 
"in  whom  we  have  redemption  through  his  blood,  the  for- 
giveness of  sins,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  grace."  Eph. 
1:  7.     "  He,  is  our  peace."    Eph.  2  :  14. 

4.  Remember  that  by  blood  only  is  there  access  to  God,  and 
boldness  to  enter  into  his  presence.  In  no  other  way  can  you* 
approach  God  acceptably,  than  by  faith  in  the  blood  of  his 
Son.  Abel  came  in  this  way,  and  was  accepted  ;  Cain,  in  his 
own  way,  and  was  rejected.  The  high-priest  among  the 
Jews  on  entering  the  holy  place  made  with  hands,  which 
was  but  the  figure  of  the  true,  durst  not  appear  there  without 
blood  ;  and  sinncs  who  by  grace  are  made  kings  and  priests 
unto  God,  have  boldness  to  enter  into  the  holiest  only  by  the 
blood  of  Jesus.  Heb.  10  :  19.  It  was  only  at  the  mercy-seat, 
sprinkled  with  blood,  that  the  high-priest,  as  the  representative 
of  the  people,  could  meet  God  and  find  him  propitious.  So 
now,  poor  sinners  find  a  reconciled  Father  only  through  Je- 
sus, tfce  propitiation  for  our  sins. 

5.  Itemernber  that  on  the  blood  that  Jeeua  shed  depends 


4  THK    l'R}:<!<>;  s    HlODD    UF    '  IlKti*T. 

■■■•;■;.      Wh««    t  <-,».•  higia-janiNSt   y-nitwg 
the  Jesvs  entered  the  holiest  of  aii,  as  the  intterQesso*  for  U>e 

people,  he  went  not  without  blood;  and  once  every  year  the 
altar  of  incense,  according   to  divine  command,  was  to  be. 

sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  atonement-.  Exoti.  30i  10.  Now 
the  high-priest  al  the  altar  of  incense  h  pined  the  Lord  Jesus 
as  the  great  intercessor  of  his  people,  and  when  he  entered 
into  the  holy  place,  having  obtained  eternal  redemption  for 
us,  he  entered  with  his  own  blood,  and  with  that  he.  pleads 
for  poor  sinners,  while  ever  living  to  make  intercession  for 
us.  Heb.  9:  12.  Atonement  and  intercession  are  insepara- 
ble, and  none  can  be  interested  in  the  latter  who  arc  not 
depending  on  the  former. 

6.  Finally,  Remember  that  to  the  blood  of  Jesus  the  redeemed 
in  heaven  attribute  their  glorious  position.  When  John  caught  a 
glimpse  of  them  in  vision,  and  inquired  whence  came  they, he 
received  for  answer,  "These  are  they  which  came  out  of  great 
tribulation, and  have  washed  their  robes  and  made  them  white 
in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  Therefore  are  they  before  the  throne 
of  God,"  etc.  Rev.  7:  14.  And  in  that  new  song  that  is 
ever  sung,  they  proclaim  the  same  truth  as  they  sing,  "Thou 
art  worth  to  take  the  book,  and  to  open  the  seals  thereof.:  for 
thou  wast  slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us  to  God  by  thy  blood 
out  of  every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and  nation-; 
and  hast  made  us  unto  our  God  kings  and  priests:  and  wo 
shall  reign  on  the  earth  "    Rev.  5:    9,  10. 

Dear  reader,  may  the  Holy  Spirit  sweetly  reveal  to  you 
the  value  and  efficacy  of  the  blood  of  Jesus.  Trust  in  it  for 
safety — apply  to  it  for  cleansing— depend  on  it  for  peace — 
plead  it  in  your  approach  to  the  mercy  seat — confide  in  the 
intercession  of  Him  who  shed  it;  and  then,  out  of  a  heart 
filled  with  devout  gratitude  and  praise,  will  you  be  ready  ever 
to  unite  in  the  apostolic  ascription,  "Unto  Him  that  loved 
us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  m  his  own  blood,  and  hath 
made  ue  kings  and  priests  onto  God  and  his  Father  to  him 
be  glorv  and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever.  Amen."  Rev, 
1 :   5,  6. 


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